On 18 March 2024, the European Research Council announced that the ERC Advanced Grants call under the 2024 Work programme is available for researchers based in Switzerland. The call has opened on 29 May and will close on 29 August 2024.
This is the result of President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd launching negotiations on 18 March as a follow-up of the adoption of the Swiss and EU negotiating mandates on 8 and 12 March 2024 respectively. The two mandates authorise Switzerland and the Commission to negotiate the package outlined in the Common Understanding endorsed by the Swiss Federal Council and the European Commission in November 2023.
For the next ERC 2025 calls, according to the Common Understanding, “the transitional arrangement [allowing the eligibility of Switzerland] should be extended to calls opening from the work programmes 2025 only if the agreement negotiated on Union programmes has been initialed by then.”
The Stick to Science campaign calls for a rapid clarification of the situation as the next calls will already open in July 2024 and for a full association of Switzerland as soon as possible.